911 Blizzard Baby
Location: East Hartford, Connecticut Date: December 12, 1992 Story On December 12, 1992, the worst snowstorm in 100 years hit the east coast. In East Hartford, Connecticut, Sara Amanek and her husband, Michael, had gone to the hospital the night before when she experienced what the doctors thought was false labor and had been sent home. "Around 9:30, 10:00, the contractions started up again," said Michael. Sara was in the kitchen with her eight-year-old daughter, Katie, and seven-year-old son, Bobby. She was wiping the counter and started feeling a little pain. Katie asked her if she was okay and she said, "I'm okay honey. Where's your dad?". Michael came in and asked, "Honey, what's going on?" "I think the baby's on the way," she told him. He told her to sit down. "At that point we weren't sure if we were overreacting to the contractions, and quite frankly looking out the window we were unsure that we should try to venture out in the weather." said Michael. The snow was coming down so hard, he couldn't see the house across the street. Sara told him, "I'm not going to make it". Katie wasn't really scared because she thought Sara would just drive to the hospital but that's not how it worked out. Michael called 911 and dispatcher Wilma McKelvy took the call. "My wife's in labor and we need an ambulance," he said. "How many months is she in pregnancy?" "Eight months" "And your name?" "Michael Amanek." McKelvy asked him if it was the first child and he said it was the third one. She asked if Sara was bleeding or spotting and he said yes. "Once the man on the phone told me his wife was spotting, I knew something was going to happen soon so I just stayed on the phone with him, coaching him, like 'Make sure you have a towel ready just in case,'" said McKelvy. McKelvy told Michael to tell Sara to sit down and put a towel underneath her. He told Katie to go upstairs and get one. "I thought it would be up to me if she had the baby at home, then I thought, 'The ambulance will get here,'" said Katie. Paramedic Bruce Lockman was several miles from the scene. "Given the conditions I hoped that we were going to make it to the hospital. At eight months pregnant she's premature. It's going to happen whether we're there or not. But if it's a bad experience we definitely don't want him in that position having to deliver the baby," said Lockman. Meanwhile, Michael was still on the phone with McKelvy. "I really didn't think she was going to have the baby. I really expected the cavalry to show up and that I was going to take a walk," said Michael. Katie and Bobby were watching nearby. Sara began moaning and Michael told her to breathe. He also told Katie and Bobby to get upstairs and stay there until further notice so they wouldn't have to see what was happening. He told McKelvy that Sara had a C-section for their first child. "Once I heard her moaning in the background saying she felt the need to push, I started getting worried. I never had a complete birth on the phone and this was going to be the first one. The childbirth card gives us a sequence during a normal childbirth, but when the man told me that his wife had a caesarean, I was very worried because I didn't know complications could happen," said McKelvy. She continued to give Michael instructions on what to do. He said there was a bubble coming out and McKelvy asked if there were towels under her and he said yes. "When she has a contraction, I want you to place your hand against her vagina and apply firm but gentle pressure to keep the baby's head from coming out too fast and clearing her. The ambulance is coming. They're on the way," McKelvy told Michael. The paramedics were still driving in the snowy weather. The snow was very heavy and the road never cleared up. Bobby peaked out of the bedroom door and Michael told him and Katie to stay upstairs. He was concerned about them hearing Sara in pain knowing that this could be a dangerous situation and they weren't around to witness something horrible. Michael saw the baby's head come out. McKelvy told him to turn it sideways and clean the mouth and nose with a piece of the towel. "The baby's head was out and almost in slow motion it turned up to me and one little hand came up alongside its face and it was a real breathtaking experience," said Michael. Sara did one final push and the baby came out, crying. Michael put it on her stomach and McKelvy told him to wrap it in the towel. "As soon as the baby came out, there was an immense feeling of relieve. I was amazed, totally amazed. I mean here's Mike handing me this baby, and it was done. We did it. You know, there was no doctor, there was no ambulance. We did it," said Sara, happily. She held her new baby close to her. Upstairs, Katie and Bobby gave each other a high-five and started jumping up and down for joy. "I could hear Mom moaning and a couple minutes later, I heard a baby crying, and Bobby was like 'Yippee,'" Katie explained. Mike felt really good. "Once I heard the baby crying, I started crying, knowing that you assisted in something that was personal to them and just that little life had deepened on that line that was going through on the phone. It was great," said Wilma. Michael told Katie to get him more towels so she threw them down the stairs and he told her that she should get a Brownie badge for doing that. Michael said that Sara and the baby were both fine. But he didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. McKelvy asked if he could look but he didn't want to unwrap it. She told him to get a string and tie the umbilical cord. He asked if he could use a boot lace and she said yes. She told him to tie the umbilical cord about three inches away from the baby and not cut anything. Michael did what he was told and saw that the baby was a boy. "It's a boy," said McKelvy with joy. "I got under there and as I was tying the cord, I realized it was a boy. I thought I wasn't sure emotion had taken over and if it was a boy or a girl until I really had a good second look and I knew we had a boy. I was really convinced that it was a girl so it was a double surprise," explained Michael. The firefighters and paramedics arrived at the house and Katie let them in. Michael hung up with McKelvy and she congratulated him on the delivery. As soon as she got out of work, she bought the baby a present and told Michael, "We have to go see her and the baby." Katie looked at her new baby brother and thought he was really cute and thought, "He's my little brother and I love him so much." Sara and baby John were taken to the hospital, examined, and released after two days. "What happened the day John was born was something that we will never, ever forget. Michael did great and Katie was terrific. I think she really wanted a sister but the second she laid eyes on that baby it didn't matter to her that it was a boy," said Sara. "I think it was really special that in a way I helped him come out because I was throwing down the towels," said Katie. "I'm going to teach him how to eat, walk, and play. He's going to be my best friend," said Bobby. Recently, the Amaneks got to meet McKelvy who helped bring John into the world. "Wilma is magnificent. She talked to me on the phone like she was my sister or my mother. She was not a 911 lady. She was a friend," said Michael. She said it was rewarding to have John come into the world through 911 with her on the line. It made her want to have a baby, too. But she collected her wit. "Of course I'm partial that he is absolutely gorgeous, absolutely beautiful. He is a true blessing. We could never ask for more," concludes Sara. She and Michael kissed as they watched John sleep saying what a good boy he is. Trivia The animated clip of the ambulance driving in the snowstorm was taken from this segment. Category:1992 Category:Connecticut Category:Childbirth Category:Holiday Category:Christmas